Do self defense programs work?

dvcochran

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The idea that having more options makes it harder to choose one is an over-generalization from a very specific piece of cognitive research. There's no evidence I know of to support it for a well-trained set of skills.

I also know of no evidence that suggests training a skill over a longer period leaves one with no better chance of being able to use it than training it 30 hours once, some time ago.
Agree with the first sentence. I do now quite get what you are saying in the second sentence. If you are saying practicing something to the point of habit doesn't increase the likelihood of using it when needed, I have to disagree.
 

drop bear

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totally reasonable. The question then, is what are your chances of getting into a fight? And to be clear, this is a little different for you than for me. You're an Australian, which just automatically means you're more likely to get into a fight than me. As an Australian, your accent is annoying, which puts people on edge. But even beyond that, you are (or were) involved in bouncing. Me? I'm a lovable guy who doesn't really hang out in bars, drink to excess, etc. My chances of getting into a fight are exceedingly low.

So, if we're talking bang for buck, learning to fight is a "nice to have" not a "need to have." Might be different for someone else.

Which for guys I think is probably more likely due to being put in more dangerous positions.

Hence the study might change with gender.
 

drop bear

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I think your last sentence effectively neutralizes your first sentence. I think there are physical skills that can help, but it really depends. Simply put, I would agree that physical training of some kind can help, and if the situation plays to your strengths, great. But I'm unconvinced that "self defense" training is more effective than other, non martial training (e.g., CrossFit or Parkour or even Tae Bo). Maybe, if the chips fall just right, but statistically, it just doesn't play out. And you don't get a beginner attacker who attacks you incorrectly.

Can you hunt down that study for me again. I think it raises some interesting points so I am giving it to some guys I know.
 

Gerry Seymour

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I think your last sentence effectively neutralizes your first sentence.
I don't think so. I said there was a reasonable argument to be made. That we can't expect to get good data around it doesn't eliminate the idea of a reasonable argument (though it does probably eliminate the possibility of a scientific assertion).

I think there are physical skills that can help, but it really depends. Simply put, I would agree that physical training of some kind can help, and if the situation plays to your strengths, great. But I'm unconvinced that "self defense" training is more effective than other, non martial training (e.g., CrossFit or Parkour or even Tae Bo). Maybe, if the chips fall just right, but statistically, it just doesn't play out. And you don't get a beginner attacker who attacks you incorrectly.
If both include similar fitness levels (to eliminate the argument that it's just the fitness), then - assuming the "self defense" training is actually developing fighting skills, it's definitely likely to be more use in some situations. Of course, there will always be situations where nothing helps significantly...and some where almost anything (assuming it provide some fitness/strength benefits) helps. I'm not sure what your point is about the incorrect attack.
 

Gerry Seymour

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that's not really what I said, I said that in a stressful situation there is no evidence that a well practiced skill wont desert you as easily as it will someone who hasnt trained for anywhere near as loNg, unless of course you have some to share ? equally the less practised person may cope with stress better and out perform the expert,
If you control for individual differences (so it's not the person reacting better naturally), I can't think of any evidence that would support the idea of an untrained or barely-trained person performing as well as someone who is practiced in a skill, for any skill, under stress. Of course, if we include poorly-trained people (people who put in a lot of hours, but don't actually learn the skill), then it's a toss-up.
 

Gerry Seymour

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and some people are born performers who have no Sense of danger to over come. others can spend a long time practising and never be anything but slightly less scared and dull.

but the point I'm making is a high level of stress and genuine danger are not synonyms
That's conflating variables, Jobo. That's what I was getting at earlier.
 

Gerry Seymour

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They aren't unfortunately, you may think so because you don't think that way and assume others being reasonable people don't either. I can assure you, think women are responsible for their own assaults and rapes is far more common than reasonable people think.

Nearly half of young British men 'think drunk women are to blame' if they are sexually assaulted

One in 12 say rape victims to blame if they are drunk or flirtatious

and this disgusts me. BBC News - Women say some rape victims should take blame - survey
I'm curious if that's a similar proportion in the US. It's not my perception that the numbers would be as high, but that might be a misperception, or it might be just because of who I spend time around.
 

Gerry Seymour

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Agree with the first sentence. I do now quite get what you are saying in the second sentence. If you are saying practicing something to the point of habit doesn't increase the likelihood of using it when needed, I have to disagree.
I was saying I haven't seen any evidence to suggest practicing something to the point of habit doesn't increase the likelihood of using it when needed.
 

Tez3

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I'm curious if that's a similar proportion in the US. It's not my perception that the numbers would be as high, but that might be a misperception, or it might be just because of who I spend time around.


The first links I posted were American and I would say that the percentages of people thinking it's the woman's fault is even higher in the US especially with the current climate and things I've actually heard your politicians say as well as laughable verdicts in courts. the 'me too' movement started in the US and you have a president who advocates grabbing women by their genitals. the 'boys will be boys' and 'it's just locker room talk' are pervasive ideas that fuel the 'women are to blame' ideas. You also have a lot of schools and colleges who discriminate against females when it comes to clothes, blaming the clothing females wear for 'distracting' boys. That's something we don't have in the UK.
This is very disturbing data Statistics | RAINN




Stanford sexual assault: woman who blamed victim for drinking apologizes


Blame the Supreme Court for America's Sexual Harassment Nightmare

USA: WOMEN CADETS ARE BLAMED FOR RAPES AT AIR FORCE ACADEMY

Rape Culture Is Real

Somehow, “Women are to blame, too” – Code Like A Girl
 

jobo

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If you control for individual differences (so it's not the person reacting better naturally), I can't think of any evidence that would support the idea of an untrained or barely-trained person performing as well as someone who is practiced in a skill, for any skill, under stress. Of course, if we include poorly-trained people (people who put in a lot of hours, but don't actually learn the skill), then it's a toss-up.
yea there no evidence for it and non against it either, therefore there is no evidence, which makes a conclusion that more training makes you better able to defend yourself no more than an assumption made by people either to sell additional training or to hustfiy6 doing so.
 

Gerry Seymour

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The first links I posted were American and I would say that the percentages of people thinking it's the woman's fault is even higher in the US especially with the current climate and things I've actually heard your politicians say as well as laughable verdicts in courts. the 'me too' movement started in the US and you have a president who advocates grabbing women by their genitals. the 'boys will be boys' and 'it's just locker room talk' are pervasive ideas that fuel the 'women are to blame' ideas. You also have a lot of schools and colleges who discriminate against females when it comes to clothes, blaming the clothing females wear for 'distracting' boys. That's something we don't have in the UK.
This is very disturbing data Statistics | RAINN




Stanford sexual assault: woman who blamed victim for drinking apologizes


Blame the Supreme Court for America's Sexual Harassment Nightmare

USA: WOMEN CADETS ARE BLAMED FOR RAPES AT AIR FORCE ACADEMY

Rape Culture Is Real

Somehow, “Women are to blame, too” – Code Like A Girl
Looking at individual institutions in the US will give you a VERY skewed view of what is common. There are many schools here (hundreds among the many thousands) that are far outside the mainstream view. And individuals (like the first headline here) don't give us an idea of prevalence, either. I'll try to look for some statistics later, see what I can find.
 

Gerry Seymour

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yea there no evidence for it and non against it either, therefore there is no evidence, which makes a conclusion that more training makes you better able to defend yourself no more than an assumption made by people either to sell additional training or to hustfiy6 doing so.
There's a lot of evidence that shows that training a skill makes it more likely to become habit. You're not even trying. Remember, you made the claim.
 

Tez3

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Looking at individual institutions in the US will give you a VERY skewed view of what is common. There are many schools here (hundreds among the many thousands) that are far outside the mainstream view. And individuals (like the first headline here) don't give us an idea of prevalence, either. I'll try to look for some statistics later, see what I can find.


However you seem happy to believe the UK stats are correct? I could have posted a list of hundreds of articles about sexual harassment, assault and rape in the Us that give lie to your assertion but I get it, you don't want to believe it.
 

jobo

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There's a lot of evidence that shows that training a skill makes it more likely to become habit. You're not even trying. Remember, you made the claim.
but that's not the point I'm making, it's about if that will manifest itself under extreme stress, when its instincts rather than habit that's the issue, instincts are far more deeply embedded f than habbits, in my recent issue all my karate training deserted me every bit of it, all those hours were a waste of time, as under stress I just reverted back to my instincts and rugby tacked him to the ground a technique I developed when I was 6

and expressly if 300 hours or three thousand hours makes you better able to defend yourself than 30, for which there is no data what so ever, just an assumption it must be so, made by people who have dedicated many hours to it.

if one karate expert loses to one untrained bum then it throws doubt on it, unless you can supply data that shows it's an aberration against the mean.
 
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